Capturing Slaves

The sky was just beginning to lighten.

The indigenous village was filled with cries and wails. Many houses had been swept away, leaving the ground a scene of devastation, littered with undried blood and corpses. The pungent stench of blood attracted many dangerous wild animals, but they wisely refrained from approaching upon seeing the village. Piles of Animal Hide, valuables, and swords were gathered and stacked in front of the Chieftain's Mansion in the center, including a considerable amount of gold and silver artifacts. The indigenous people liked to use gold and silver to display their status and wealth.

The open space in the center was filled with a dense, dark mass of people.

All weapons were confiscated, and the captured natives were separated into women, children, and adult men, then tied together by their arms with ropes. There were very few elderly people among the natives, as their average lifespan was less than forty years; therefore, the vast majority were adults, and children over fourteen were considered adults here. The battle of the previous night had not yet been forgotten; the bloodstains filled these natives with fear, especially the way they looked at Soren —as if they were seeing something utterly terrifying!

The battle ended quickly after the Spirits was killed.

This was hardly unexpected. Ordinary Native Warrior were no match for Soren's attacks. Although he had only just reached the realm of high-level professionals, he was not without confidence in dealing with Legendary Creature. The number of prisoners had not yet been tallied, but a rough count suggested there were eight or nine hundred heads. After all, those who escaped last night were a minority. The Drow Warrior quickly brought the situation under control, as the Drow were a race that relied heavily on Slave.

"Really!"

Soren watched his busy subordinates and thought to himself, "The Drow are indeed much more efficient than the pirates."

Whether it was Discipline during battle or the process of capturing Slave.

The Drow Warrior were far superior to Soren's Elite Pirate, and Drow society was built on Slave. Therefore, they were adept at controlling Slave from a young age. However, the most skilled at enslaving other races in this world were Mind Flayer, creatures born to control others. The Drow were skilled in Dark Arts, but for Soren, their abilities were indeed far more useful than those of the pirates.

"Your Mightiness!"

A One-Eyed pirate approached Soren, bowed slightly, and said respectfully, "The tally is complete."

Soren glanced at him and asked, "What about the casualties?"

The One-Eyed glanced behind him, a hint of guilt on his face. He whispered, "Twenty-six are dead, forty-two are wounded, and the rest mostly suffered minor injuries. I've already given those who couldn't be saved a quick death."

So many casualties?!

Soren's expression was grim. He turned to look at the Drow, where Dark Blade - Andri was collecting the bodies of his fallen comrades. Three Drow Warrior had perished, and most of the others were wounded. The difference in numbers was stark; this was the difference between Discipline and lack Discipline in battle. Nearly thirty of the pirate elites had died. If other pirates had come, their morale might have collapsed. Conversely, the Drow had only lost three men, with only about ten wounded among them.

It seems that the pirates were not very strong in large-scale battles.

"Signal for someone to come!"

Soren glanced at the One-Eyed before him and ordered in a deep voice, "Send these Slave back by boat, first the children and women, then the adults. Have the people in the camp come to meet them. Anyone who makes a move will be killed without mercy!"

Indigenous tribes do not possess much wealth.

All the spoils of war were worth only ten or twenty thousand Gold Daler's, even including the furs and goods they had accumulated, which would have to be transported to the South Coast to be exchanged for money. Here, they only had ordinary daily necessities. Most of the captured natives were ordinary people, but there were also a few professionals, who were all under strict guard, numbering only about fifty or sixty. As for the original Chieftain, nobles, and high-ranking officials, they had long been slaughtered by Soren.

These indigenous leaders absolutely cannot be left alive; they must all be killed to maintain control!

The pirates got to work.

The savage pirates kicked and shoved the native Slave away. Many of their brothers had died the night before, so they were naturally in a bad mood. Soren felt little pity either, only warning them not to damage the Slave, as they were important assets he needed. Long ropes were tied around the Slave ' wrists, and they were pulled forward one by one like livestock. The warship was already anchored in the River Goddess ahead; these Slave would soon be transported back to camp.

"Set fire!"

Soren looked at the ruined village before him and said in a deep voice, "Burn it all down!"

A huge fire broke out.

Many natives wept bitterly as they watched. Their former home had been reduced to flames, and now they had no place to call home. Seeing their tribe reduced to ashes in the fire, many natives were enraged, but most became numb, as if they had lost all hope, allowing the pirates to take them aboard their warships. They were homeless, their tribe destroyed, now Slave, commodities. Having lost their home, they had no hope, no other choice, not even the courage to resist.

A thick plume of smoke rose.

Soren gazed at the village engulfed in flames, then turned to look at the rows of Slave bound by ropes, a slight smile creeping onto his face.

He has finally gained a foothold in the Overseas Islands!

Having dealt with the local tribes, the island was now his territory. Unless he actively provoked other tribes, the chances of them attacking Soren would be greatly reduced. Now he finally had time to develop at his own pace, and the nearly one thousand Slave provided him with a large labor force, which would greatly accelerate the construction of his camp.

"It's a real shame to waste all this farmland."

Soren stood on a higher slope, gazing at the farmland near the tribe, and couldn't help but lament, "This farmland has been cultivated for many years and even has specially dug ditches. Although the area isn't very large, it's still quite valuable. It's a pity that my development area isn't here, and the River Goddess here aren't very convenient to connect to the sea, so I have to give up all this farmland."

Farmland can be reclaimed.

However, the location of a natural harbor is difficult to change by human intervention, and Soren would not alter his plans for the sake of a small piece of land.

Our forces cannot be dispersed, because the Overseas Islands are dangerous!

...(To be continued~^~)